Cupid and Psyche
by Bullwinkle's Lady
Summary: He reached behind him, withdrawing a golden arrow. SasuHina.


**Cupid and Psyche**

by Bullwinkle's Lady

* * *

He was perched in Konoha's oldest tree, his body shrouded in its great plum leaves. The tree had been coated in a thick layer of snow. No one noticed him, and he was content.

His eyes were onyx, and his skin held a paleness to rival the snow's. Long black hair hung in those bland eyes. He closed them, briefly, bored as he was, and reluctantly focused them on the scene below. At his sides, his wings retired and folded against him.

As the lesser god of love and beauty, Uchiha Sasuke was mostly indifferent about his fate. He habitually wiped messy strands from his eyes, then feathers off his clothes, only halfheartedly invested in the task at hand. In his right hand, he clasped a bow.

The young god was eavesdropping on a conversation thirty feet below. He could have just as well been three feet away. Though the sky was dimming, he had no problem seeing them. His senses were unnaturally acute, eliminating any disadvantage of their distance. Two people were conversing, a male and a female.

He reached behind him, withdrawing a golden arrow.

On the ground, Tenten wrapped her arms around Lee's torso. "Thanks so much for all your help!"

The spandex-clad boy seemed momentarily caught off guard, but quickly saluted. "We must always honor Konoha's precious flowers!"

Ignoring him, Tenten pressed her lips to his cheek, and Lee instantly blushed. He'd try to blame it on the cold weather.

"Hn..." said Sasuke. They seemed like a competent duo. He drew the arrow and released.

Lee gasped when the arrow struck him between the shoulder blades, sticking awkwardly out of his back before disintegrating. Lee's eyes slowly grew wide and vacant. He gazed dazedly over Tenten's shoulder, still locked tightly in her grasp.

Sasuke fastened his bow to his back, only moderately satisfied with his success.

"Lee, Tenten," a new voice suddenly intruded. Sasuke perked as Neji entered the scene. "Are you ready for training?" the Hyuuga asked, looking disgusted with the display. He advanced on Lee's turned back, grabbing his shoulder and spinning him around.

Sasuke winced when their eyes met.

A love struck expression swept over Lee's face.

"Hn." Sasuke turned away, dismissing the situation. He straightened from where he was knelt, spreading his wings and preparing to take flight.

Someone touched his shoulder, and he froze in place. Sasuke glanced behind him. "Mother-?" His wings began to retract.

Uchiha Mikoto looked grim. "I need a favor," she mentioned.

* * *

The goddess of love was surprisingly cruel.

"You want to sabotage her?" Sasuke muttered, sprawled lazily on his mother's throne. "A mortal girl?"

"Her name is Hinata. She's from the Hyuuga clan," Mikoto mentioned, pacing. "She was born with more beauty than any of the other mortals. Men are continuously fighting for her attention. I'm concerned she will cause disquiet in the village-"

Mikoto hated competition.

"What could I do?" Sasuke muttered disinterestedly.

The goddess stopped walking, and looked back at him. "I want you to scratch her with one of your arrows tonight while she's sleeping. She'll fall in love with the first person she sees when she awakes. I'll arrange for that person to be the cruelest man in the village."

Sasuke, personally, would have opted for Naruto, the village idiot. He wasn't the cruelest man, but was surely the ugliest.

"Sure," Sasuke mentioned, standing. He had no qualms with condoning his mother's jealousy.

* * *

That night, Sasuke concealed himself with invisibility and slipped into the Hyuuga compound. He climbed the building to Hinata's open window, and entered as quietly as possible. From the window to the bed, he crossed the room, leaving in his wake his muddied footprints.

When he was standing at her bedside, he looked down at her.

Her long black hair was splayed around her. She was pretty, he admitted, but she had nothing of particularity or interest to him.

Sasuke reached behind him and pulled out a fresh arrow. He drew it and aimed for Hinata's forehead at point-blank range.

Fair skin. Soft features. What was so significant about her? Sasuke found himself curiously watching, then staring.

A minute passed, and then another.

He watched her breathe, in then out, her chest gently heaving, and her cheeks naturally flushed. So she was, maybe, beautiful – at least for a mortal. Sasuke returned his attention to the arrow in his grasp.

But his taut bowstring refused to be abused any longer. It broke, causing the arrow to fall, and Hinata's eyes to snap open. Irrationally discomposed, he'd later wonder what had possessed him to _panic_ – to reach down for the arrow while keeping his eyes on the girl.

It was because of her eyes. A startling white.

And she was looking right back at him, as though she could see him despite his invisibility.

He winced when his pointer finger connected with the tip of his arrow. He quickly retracted his hand, and briefly stared as a small bead of ichor rolled down the length of his finger.

Hinata groggily sat up, reaching toward his hand. "Is someone – there-?"

Feeling numb, Sasuke turned away and disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

He took refuge in another of his mother's temples, perched on a throne but staring at the wall.

The sun rose, but he never noticed.

His heart was racing. He couldn't stop thinking about _her._

That stupid mortal girl who had defied his invisibility. That stupid mortal girl who had ruined him forever. He despised her yet all he _wanted_ was _her. _His arrow was a curse, and he was experiencing first-hand the hell he'd been imposing on the mortals for centuries.

"Sasuke-?"

He hastily jerked his head up, meeting the crimson eyes of an approaching man. "Father..."

"I need a favor."

"What?" he asked tersely. Sasuke wasn't in the mood.

Fugaku smirked, seeming amused by his son's peevish demeanor. He was dressed in armor from head to toe. "There's a mortal in Konoha who loves blood and death even more than I. You know I hate competition."

Sasuke was decidedly preoccupied. "What can I do? I'm a love god." He deeply breathed.

Fugaku waved his hand, dismissing this logic. "I want you to strike him with your arrow and we'll have him fall in love with a woman. A _beautiful _woman. It will keep him distracted until I can devise a torture suitable of his tastes."

Sasuke bit his tongue, stifling his impatience. "Fine."

* * *

He hadn't known the beautiful girl of his father's choice would be Hinata.

That village idiot, Uzumaki Naruto, was throwing a party at the town square. Both Gaara and Hinata had conveniently shown.

When the two mortals walked past each other, just as Sasuke knew they would, he waved his hand over the scene, and all of the mortals froze in place. The breeze continued to blow and the music continued to play.

Flanked by his massive white wings, Sasuke descended on the scene.

He approached Hinata and Gaara's frozen forms, not minding to push and shove people out of his way.

Hinata was clutching a drink in front of her, her white eyes wide and a weak smile on her lips. It looked as though she was on the verge of saying something to the brown-haired boy in front of her. Sasuke idly touched her chin. _Stupid girl..._

He then glanced at Gaara, who was wearing a scowl. He was moving toward Naruto, as though to confront him about his _stupid _party.

Sasuke continued to breathe, counting each draw. His hand was shaking as he reached behind him.

Gaara and Hinata were the human embodiments of his mother and father. It seemed so appropriate that they'd be together.

When he pulled out an arrow, he briefly poised it at Gaara's neck, but then curiously turned to the Hyuuga.

He jammed it into her back, wondering why he chose to delude himself.

She and Gaara would look at each other. A blink. A glance. It was the epitome of destiny that _they'd meet each other's eyes_.

Unfreezing the scene, Sasuke took to the air. The mortals weren't likely to notice his interference.

Hinata immediately squeezed her eyes closed, wincing briefly in pain. The arrow dematerialized but she didn't open them. Slowly, she turned away from Gaara – from everyone – and raised her head to the sky. She finally opened her eyes when she was directly facing the Uchiha.

Damn white eyes.

She smiled slightly, and mentioned, "I love you."

He watched her, suspended, momentarily stunned.

Sasuke suspected he was being slightly less than discreet when he dropped out of the sky, to the ground, in a crouch. He stood, and approached her, ignoring the surrounding people who had taken to pointing and gasping. A small child began to cry. Others smiled in recognition or fascination. Hinata took a step back, seeming intimidated. Her cheeks were redder than ever.

He cornered her against a nearby tree. Kissed her hand, and then her lips. He kissed her until she was numb, and could do little more than return the gesture.

He loved the mortal, by force, then by choice.

His parents disowned him, but he didn't mind.

**The End**

* * *

Why did Sasuke climb the bedroom wall? Why didn't Fugaku and Mikoto deal with Hinata and Gaara on their own? Why did Sasuke's bowstring snap? Why did this story actually have conflict, or plot, or anything at all? Because the Greek gods have few limitations and are inherently inconsistent. I just went with it. It's otherwise impossible to rationalize "gods having problems."

Yeah, and Ares and Aphrodite weren't actually siblings, for those "Hercules" and "Xena" fans out there. They were lovers...not that we're even talking Greek mythology, because Cupid and Psyche comes from Roman mythology. Oh snap.


End file.
